Casa del Mar Resort @ Pantai Cenang, Langkawi

With rates of RM799 a night even for the most affordable room, Casa del Mar could very well be the most luxurious and expensive hotel I have stayed in. Before that, I was contemplating between Casa del Mar and Meritus Pelangi, with the latter being our preference. But since Meritus Pelangi refuse to beat the price I found on Agoda, I chose the neighbouring hotel instead. Why on earth would they choose to pay commission to Agoda instead of lowering their rates? Honestly, I wouldn’t know. I just know it’s kind of silly and that cost them a customer.

Situated right on the white sandy beaches of Pantai Cenang in Langkawi, this 34 room resort offers both privacy and tranquillity in a truly stylish tropical setting. Just like The Villas, Casa del Mar also specializes at entertaining couples and adult guests only.

The room type we got was the Seaview Studio Suite which could be divided into 3 sections: the outdoor terrace, bedroom and bathroom. Tasteful bed arrangements aside, the timber floored room is also furnished with a large and inviting sofa bed, a small dining table and a platter of complimentary tropical fruits.

And of course the room also features typical in-room amenities such as coffee and tea making facilities (with fresh ground coffee, not those instant 3 in 1 types), wall-mounted LCD TV, iPod docking station, cable tv channels, mini bar etc. A DVD/CD player is also provided and you could borrow titles from the library at no cost. Basically it has everything you’d have expected from a 5 star property.

More complimentary snacks on the minibar – orange cookies, peanuts and milk, these are all refillable upon request.

Separated by a sliding glass door, the private terrace opens up to a small lawn and is furnished with two chairs and a drink table. And since the Seaview Studio Suite is the nearest to the beach among all units, its location is perfect for enjoying the soothing sea breeze and listening to the calming ocean.

As for the bathroom, it is spacious alright but I’d preferred the shower cubicle to be a lot bigger because the space is really tight. I think you have just enough room to turn your body around. Also, during our stay there was a nationwide laksa competition held across the road and we could hear the noise from the site pretty clearly. It wasn’t really much of an annoyance but I felt the soundproofing should be better for a relaxation resort.

For those feeling romantic, an al-fresco sunset dinner could be arranged on the beach – for a price and subject to weather condition of course. After much consideration we decided to go for it but alas it was fully booked that night. That is why I could only offer you a photo of the dinner’s setup.
So if you are planning for something special, do plan ahead and make your reservations earlier because the tables are limited and they are extremely popular with the hotel guests, especially the expats. Anyway, we ended up eating at Sun Cafe and still had a great time.

Breakfasts are served at La Sal, the resident restaurant in Cas del Mar. For the premium rates that you pay, you can expect the breakfasts here to be a little more special. Guests are presented with a special breakfast menu and the chosen dishes are cooked to order. They are nothing short of delicious and could easily match up with any restaurant with similar offerings in the area.

If nothing on the menu fancies you (I think that’d a rare scenario) you could still go for the buffet line where the usual fares such as nasi lemak, cereal, toasts, fruits and salads are served.

Now for the other available but unutilized facilities (by us). First there’s this cozy mini theatre but we did not know how to operate, nor there was any staff around to guide us. I bet it’d be cool to watch a movie here while enjoying a cuppa from the coffee machine. Oh well.

Gym room.

And a small corner of books and board games.

Overall, I’d say our one night stay at Casa del Mar was enjoyable and we sure did feel welcomed from the moment we arrived. To be honest the price of this hotel is quite hefty for locals and I am still surprised that I actually forked out for it. But one thing for sure is that you do get quality in return.
The location is a huge plus too, as it is only a 10-15 minutes drive from the airport and close to lots of dining options along Pantai Cenang. Lastly, I would not recommend this property to the younger travellers because you might find it a bit boring. It is a hotel for relaxation after all.

Likes: Beautiful boutique resort, spacious and spotless room, huge comfortable ‘heavenly bed’, breakfast, genuinely friendly staff, great location, good privacy and void of running children
Dislikes: No dedicated parking for guests, cramped shower

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